Jerry Moore: Motherhood demands ability to put child first

Two years ago, Nunu Sung left her newborn baby outside a residence in Wheaton, Ill. Sung previously fled her native Myanmar and eventually came to the U.S. to live with a cousin.

Jerry Moore

Cultural differences are never a valid excuse for abandoning an infant.

Two years ago, Nunu Sung left her newborn baby outside a residence in Wheaton, Ill. Sung previously fled her native Myanmar and eventually came to the U.S. to live with a cousin.

Sung gave birth to her son in June 2009 and placed him underneath some bushes outside an apartment building. Noticing that Sung had not come home, her cousin filed a missing person report with police.

The baby was discovered outside the apartment building at about 7:45 a.m. on June 12. When police found Sung had returned home, they began piecing together the sad case of the abandoned baby and the missing mother.

Law enforcement officials eventually dropped the charges against Sung of endangering the life of a child. She received a three-year sentence in prison in October 2010 after pleading guilty to obstructing justice. She will be eligible for parole in January.

Sung now wants to regain custody of her son once she is released from prison. As part of her plea agreement, the state’s attorney’s office pledged not to interfere in her attempt to be reunited with her son.

However, the boy’s legal guardian seeks to have Sung’s parental rights terminated. Since the state’s attorney’s office must represent the legal guardian in court, Sung believes law enforcement officials have gone back on their word. Circuit Judge Blanche Hill Fawell dismissed a request by Sung’s attorneys to find the state’s attorney’s office in contempt.

As it deals with maternal instincts and the well-being of a child, this case is bound to stir all kinds of emotions for those involved and onlookers alike.

It’s natural that Sung wants to take custody of her son, even after abandoning him. Her experiences in Myanmar led her to believe she faced great hazards by raising a child without a father. Now that time has passed and she realizes she is not at risk, she feels compelled to resume her role as the child’s mother.

But to walk away from her son right after birth is horrendous. How can she be trusted to pursue his best interests?

Sung should have found someone to trust while pregnant. Her life in Myanmar explains her fears to some extent, but she left that country. Raising a child involves moving beyond your own needs, but Sung has yet to display that ability.

Jerry Moore is the opinions editor for Suburban Life Publications. Contact him at (630) 368-8930 or jmoore@mysuburbanlife.com.

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